Christina Kay Crow remains jailed on a $1 million bond after deputies found her 5-year-old daughter injured in woods behind a Thompsonville home.

BEULAH, Mich. — A northern Michigan woman charged after deputies found her 5-year-old daughter badly injured in woods behind their home will undergo a forensic competency evaluation before her criminal case moves forward, court officials said.

The development shifts the case from an early evidence hearing to a review of whether Christina Kay Crow, 40, can understand the charges and assist in her defense. Crow is charged in Benzie County’s 85th District Court with assault with intent to murder and first-degree child abuse. She has been held at the Benzie County Jail on a $1 million bond since her April arrest.

Crow was arrested April 20 after Benzie County sheriff’s deputies were sent to a home on Lincoln Avenue in Thompsonville for a welfare check. The check focused first on Crow, authorities said, but deputies became concerned about the whereabouts and well-being of her young daughter after arriving at the residence. Investigators searched the area for about 90 minutes before finding the child in a wooded area behind the home. The sheriff’s office said the girl had serious injuries to her neck and face. “No further details are being released,” the sheriff’s office said as it cited the continuing investigation and the child’s age.

The child was first taken to Munson Medical Center in Traverse City, then transferred to Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids for more specialized care. Authorities have not released her name or a public update on her condition. They also have not said what led deputies to worry about the child while they were at the home, what evidence was collected from the property or whether anyone else was at the residence during the welfare check. Crow was arrested at the scene after deputies found the girl. The sheriff’s office has described the case as active and has limited public statements to the charges, the search and the child’s transfer between hospitals.

The case began in Thompsonville, a small Benzie County village in northwest Michigan, about 250 miles from Detroit and south of Traverse City. The home listed by authorities is on Lincoln Avenue, and the child was found in woods behind the residence, according to the sheriff’s office. The short distance between the home and the wooded area has become a central fact in the case because deputies were already at the property when the search began. The 90-minute search also has become a key part of the public timeline. Authorities have not said whether search teams used dogs, drones or other equipment, and no search warrant details have been released.

Crow was arraigned April 22 in 85th District Court on one count of assault with intent to murder and one count of first-degree child abuse. Both counts are felonies under Michigan law. A judge set bond at $1 million cash or surety, and jail records cited in local reports placed her at the Benzie County Jail. A probable cause conference had been set for May 7, followed by a preliminary examination on May 14. The preliminary examination is the stage where prosecutors normally present enough evidence for a judge to decide whether a felony case should advance toward circuit court.

That schedule changed after a May 14 hearing was canceled, according to court documents. The Benzie County Prosecutor’s Office said proceedings will resume after Crow receives a forensic competency evaluation. A competency review is separate from a trial and does not decide guilt or innocence. It focuses on whether a defendant is legally able to take part in the court process. Officials did not give a date for the evaluation or a new hearing. The delay leaves the case in a holding pattern while the child abuse and attempted murder charges remain pending.

Few public details have been released from inside the Lincoln Avenue home, and officials have not described the moments before deputies arrived. That silence has left the official record centered on a narrow set of confirmed facts: a welfare check, concern about a missing child, a 90-minute search, the discovery of an injured 5-year-old in nearby woods and Crow’s arrest at the scene. The child’s age has shaped the amount of information made public. Authorities have not released medical records, interview details or a fuller account of what deputies saw when they entered the property.

The court pause also means several questions remain unanswered. Prosecutors have not publicly described the evidence they believe supports the intent-to-murder charge. Defense filings, if any, have not laid out Crow’s response to the allegations in detail. No trial date has been set. The sheriff’s office has not announced additional arrests. The child’s medical care moved from Traverse City to Grand Rapids, but officials have not said how long she remained hospitalized or what recovery steps followed. The case now turns on the competency process before the usual felony hearing schedule can resume.

For now, Crow remained charged and jailed while the criminal case waited for the forensic evaluation. The next public milestone is expected to be a new hearing date after competency findings are returned to the district court.

Author note: Last updated May 18, 2026.